Heritage Law provides a wide variety of estate planning services to ensure that your wishes are met if you are unable to make decisions or after your passing.
Deciding how you want to deal with your livelihood and way of living is not something you should put off. Preparing this documentation sooner rather than later ensures peace of mind. Our Edmonton wills & estates lawyers help you plan for the future by offering the following services
Will Planning
Every estate plan should have a will. This appoints executors and establishes who will share your estate, how much they will receive, and when your estate will be transferred to your chosen beneficiaries.
No matter how big or complex your estate is, our will planning lawyers at Heritage Law will help you tailor a will that meets your specific wishes. This includes preparing and drafting the will as well as certifying all documents.
Ready to start making a will? Our Will Preparation form allows our team of lawyers to review your details so we can meet with you and best prepare a will to cover all aspects of your estate. We’ll get back to you to book an appointment to review your details.
Estate Planning & Estate Inventory
When you appoint someone as the executor of your estate, that individual is responsible for establishing a list of the estate’s assets and liabilities following your death. You can reduce the stress of this task by using our Estate Inventory Workbook to document a list of assets and liabilities.
Or, if you have found yourself as executor of a will, you can also use this workbook to organize this important task.
Otherwise, contact our team at Heritage Law to begin your estate planning today! We can help navigate the challenges of preparing a will, establishing trusts, appointing executors, and naming beneficiaries.
Estate Lawyer Edmonton Estate Inventory Workbook
Power of Attorney
Power of attorney authorizes an individual to represent or act on another’s behalf. Many people choose to create a power of attorney as they age to allow someone they trust to manage their finances and property and act in their best interest.
This document differs from a last will and testament and is immediately invalidated upon the individual’s death.
There are different types of power of attorney, each with their own specific purposes: General Power of Attorney, Durable Power of Attorney, Limited Power of Attorney, and Springing Durable Power of Attorney.
Let our team of power of attorney lawyers help you decide which power of attorney will best suit your needs. Complete our Power of Attorney form to start the process of getting this important paperwork done. One of our lawyers will get back to you to book an appointment to review your details
Enduring Power of Attorney Form
Personal Directives
A Personal Directive provides you with peace and protection should you become ill or injured. It ensures that you choose who has total control over aspects of your life such as health care, legal affairs, and more.
Otherwise, healthcare professionals select a family member to make these decisions on your behalf. If your decision-making abilities are permanently affected, someone will have to apply to the courts to become your guardian.
Heritage Law is more than happy to guide you through the process of drafting your personal directive – whether temporary or long-term. Check out our Personal Directive form to get started.
Trusts
When you plan your estate, there may be beneficiaries who are not yet prepared to inherit or manage your assets.
Our team can help create a trust which appoints an individual or group of your choice to be caretakers of your estate and assets until your beneficiaries are ready to receive their inheritance.
Often, this is necessary when beneficiaries are minor children. With a trust, you can appoint an individual to oversee the inheritance until the child becomes of age.
Trusts come in many forms, so speak to a lawyer at Heritage Law to find the right fit for your peace of mind.
Estate Administration
From probate applications to completing tax returns and selling real estate and/or personal property, being an executor can be stressful, time-consuming and confusing.
This is why Heritage Law provides estate administration services to help with your responsibilities as an executor.
Our estate administration team supports you through the stages of estate administration and takes care of all administrative aspects associated with handling an estate.
Probate
A legal will is only the beginning when it comes to settling an estate. Upon a person’s death, their will must be legally approved by the court, where the executor is authorized to act on behalf of the deceased – this is known as probate.
Heritage Law offers probate services to allow for smooth and legal distribution of the estate’s assets and property.
Our team of probate lawyers will help you through the entire process from filing the application to administering the estate.
Letters of Administration
If the deceased did not prepare a will, appoint an executor, or the executor is unwilling to fulfill their duty, a letter of administration can be used as an alternative to probate.
A grant of letters of administration is an official court document that proves an individual has the authority to execute the estate.
The first step in receiving a letter of administration is to speak to a probate specialist. Our team at Heritage Law has the expertise to help you go through the process of submitting an application to receive a grant of letters of administration.
In times of stress, you can relieve your and your family’s burden by relying on the legal services of Heritage Law Offices. Whether you are looking to protect yourself, preparing your estate, or executing one, our team is here to support and guide you through the process.
Get in touch with our South Edmonton office today by calling 780-436-0011 or contact us online.